The Final Flashpoint

by Iona Morrison

  “Are you doing okay?” she asked.

  Something was wrong; he could hear it in her voice. “I’m fine. What’s up?” He put a bagel in the toaster.

  “I had a strange dream last night. I almost called you. Jeremy is right. Someone needs to watch your back.”

  “I’ll be fine.” His bagel popped up, and Matt spread some jalapeno cream cheese on it. “Frank will be here this morning to search for Shara’s body. Do you want to come along, or are you working?”

  “I’m at the store this morning. I’m not sure if I can get anyone to sub for me on such short notice, but I’ll try.”

  “I’ll check back with you before we leave.” He took a sip of his coffee.

  “Maybe one of the ladies could answer the phone at the church so Audrey can watch the store. I’ll let you know if it works out.”

  “Sounds good, and, Jess, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

  “Easier said than done.” She sighed. “I love you, Matt, and I’m supposed to be concerned. I think it comes with the territory.”

  “I’m happy you love me. With you watching my back, I’ll be fine.” He glanced at the clock. “I have a meeting. I need to get to work.” He put the lid on his coffee mug. “I’ll talk to you in a while. Dylan let me know earlier that the press is camping outside of the station. It’s going to be a long day answering questions. I only wish I had some answers to give them.”

  “Let Kaufman do it,” Jessie said.

  “I will,” Matt said his goodbyes and headed for his car.

  He’d be happy if he could fill in a few more empty spaces in the victims’ files today. They didn’t need another body, but since Jessie had seen something, they’d be finding one before long.

  He parked at the station and made his way to the door, dodging reporters and their questions. “Patience, fella,” Matt said to one reporter who thrust a mic in his face. “We’ll give you answers as soon as we have them. In the meantime, go eat some breakfast, get a cup of coffee, and try to chill. I’ll get a schedule of upcoming news conferences to you sometime today.” He stepped inside and closed the door.

  “I see you made it in the door without punching anyone.” Dylan chuckled and followed Matt. “It was a close call for the fella who shoved a mic in my face earlier, but I restrained myself. I didn’t want to give the department a bad name.”

  “I’m happy for your restraint,” Matt said with a chuckle. “Although, I’m sure your self-control will be tested over the next several days.” Matt scowled. “Is Kaufman here yet?’

  “He arrived a few minutes ago. I sent him to get a cup of coffee.” Dylan pointed the way.

  “As soon as we can, we should give the reporters a schedule. They need to know when to be here, so they can come and go as they want. At least I hope they warm to the idea and won’t constantly be underfoot.”

  “It’s a nice thought anyway.” Dylan got in step with Matt, and they walked into the lunchroom together.

  “There you are, Parker.” Kaufmann gave him an impatient glance. “I’ve put together a list to give the press. We have nothing to give them this morning, so I scheduled the first press conference at four p.m. Give it to one of your officers to hand out. We should get started going over our plans for the day.”

  “Dylan, make copies and have Kip hand them out to the reporters when I tell you to. We may need to keep the press busy at some point.” Matt handed Dylan the list Kaufman had given him as the three headed down the hall.

  “Will do, chief.” Dylan went to make the copies.

  Matt closed the door once they were in his office. “I have a bloodhound coming this morning, so we can do a search for Shara’s body. If she is in the area, this dog should find her. Frank will be here with him by ten-thirty.”

  “Sounds good. Maxwell assured me this dog brings his A game and will do a bang-up job. I’ve never seen a search dog in action. It should be an interesting experience.” Kaufman drank his coffee.

  “You’ll be amazed by his capabilities.”

  “I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about Shara’s body being in the area, but Tom said if Jessie saw it, we had better take it seriously. I’m willing to give it a gander. Hell, I don’t know how you deal with this stuff.” He shook his head. “I would have written her off as a kook the first time she came to me.”

  “I can’t say I embraced it at first. In fact, I didn’t want Jessie involved in my case at all. We fought about it.” Matt grinned at the memory. “She got in my face, told me what she thought, walked out of my office in a huff, and did what she said she would do. Besides falling hard for her, I discovered she’s invaluable when it comes to shaking up stuff.” Matt told Kaufman about a few of the cases he had solved with Jessie’s help.

  “I would’ve probably arrested her for interfering in an investigation. I’ll be the first to admit I’m intrigued and look forward to meeting her.” Kaufman took a sip of his coffee.

  “You will before long, I’m sure.” Matt glanced at his notepad. “Before I forget, Jessie requested an interview with Darsha. Jessie has a way of putting people at ease and getting information from them that the police overlook. O’Malley, a precinct captain in New York, once told me she does it because she thinks like a girl. It’ll make your head spin, but she gets what she’s looking for. She’s that good.”

  “I’ll take your word for it. I’ll arrange to have Darsha brought here and let her give it a shot. We haven’t gotten much to go on from our interviews of her.”

  “Jessie will, believe me.” Matt’s phone buzzed. “This is Matt. Okay, Kenny, send him in. While you’re at it, call Jessie and see if she can make it this morning. If it’s a yes, tell her to watch for us and meet us at the church. Let me know as soon as you find out.” Matt stood by his door and waved at Frank. “Thanks for making the trip here this morning.”

  Frank walked in with Radar on a short leash. “I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t want to leave my dog in the car with all the action in your parking lot.”

  “It’s crazy out there.” Matt nodded. “He’ll do better in here. Frank, this is Agent Kaufman. He’s a friend of Tom Maxwell and has already heard about Radar.” The two men shook hands. “Would you like some coffee?’

  “No, I’ve had enough for the day.” Frank sat down. “What’s the plan?” He listened while Matt filled him in on the details.

  “We’ll start by the church and see if Radar can pick up any scent. Jessie was near the church when she saw the ghost of one of our possible victims. You know how she works, so I don’t need to say any more on the subject.”

  “Affirmative.” Frank eyed Kaufman’s skeptical expression. “It sounds strange, but like the rest of us, I think you’ll be amazed at how accurate she is. Our girl may be unconventional, but she’s right on the money.”

  Kenny knocked on Matt’s door. “Miss Reynolds said to tell you she’ll meet you at the church.”

  “Great. Thanks, Kenny.” Matt stood smiling to himself at Kenny’s formality “Let’s get started.”

  “How are we going to keep the press from following us?” Kaufman asked.

  “Frank, you leave first. Drive around the block and meet us at the front of the building. If the press follows, we’ll have to put up a police line and keep the reporters at a distance. I don’t want Radar to be affected by all of the people.”

  “Good idea. Radar gets testy if people get in his space when he’s working a track.” Frank walked out the door into the hall with his dog. “I’ll be at the front in about ten minutes.”

  Matt nodded. He buzzed Dylan. “In five minutes, you and Kip can begin handing those schedules out to the press. Keep them busy asking questions. We need to make our escape.”

  “We’ll take care of it.”

  ****

  When Frank pulled into the church parking lot, Jessie was standing outside waiting for them.

  “Jess, this is Agent Kaufman.”

  “Nice to meet you.” She patted Radar’s head
as she talked to the agent.

  “Let’s get started.” Matt handed Frank a plastic bag.

  “Sounds good to me.” Frank pulled one of Shara’s sweaters out of the bag. He put Radar’s line on, bent toward the dog, and held the scent item at his nose. “Hey, big fella,” Frank said. “It’s time to get to work. Find the girl. Let’s bring her home.”

  Jessie walked beside Frank as Radar pulled him across the front of the church toward the cemetery. “She was at the front of the church when I saw her.”

  “It looks like he’s on to something, and we’re headed in the right direction.” Frank held on as Radar tugged hard. He was in his zone and moved purposefully through the graveyard to the woods behind the church. After a few minutes, he veered off on a path to the right that led through dense underbrush and trees. He came into a clearing pulling Frank hard and stopped in front of a cluster of bushes. He pawed at the ground.

  Jessie saw the foot before Frank did. “He’s found something,” she called back to Matt.

  “Damn, we have another body.” Matt called the station for his crime unit. “Kip, see if you can find a pair of hedge clippers. Hank might have some in his shop. We need to clear some brush away without disturbing the body. If he doesn’t have any, I have some in my garage at home.”

  Matt and Kaufman worked on lifting away any dead brush they could move without disturbing the body. Jessie placed it all in a pile. Once the team arrived, they made short work of it.

  “I wonder why they dumped her here. How far is the highway, Matt?” Kaufman asked.

  “Not far. It’s an area dense with trees and undergrowth, but they could manage it. The victim doesn’t appear to have been dragged, though.” Matt studied the body carefully and took notes. Like the boys, she was stripped down to her undergarments with her hands tied behind her back. The same wire used on the male victims appeared to have been used to tie her hands. There was tape across her mouth, and her captors had used the torture prod on her. “I wonder what these kids got themselves into?” Matt shook his head.

  The unit combed through the area, making their way through the trees and down to the highway. They searched for drag marks, shoe prints, or any other clues which could tell them more about who might have dumped her body and why in this location. Marcy took pictures.

  “Were there marks like this on the other bodies you found?” Frank asked Jessie.

  “Yes. All made by the same kind of electric torture device. Each of the victims had several marks on their bodies. It makes you wonder about people. I don’t understand how we can be so cruel to one another.” Jessie sat on the trunk of a fallen tree. “From what we have learned, these kids were great kids. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

  “The longer you work with us, Miss Reynolds, the more you’ll understand that murder rarely makes sense.” Kaufman sat down beside her. “Explain to me how you knew there was another body in the area.”

  “I know you’ll find it hard to believe, but this is the world I live in right now.” Jessie explained how she had seen the ghost.

  “Tom told me about you. I can’t say I believed him when he told me about you leaping out of the tree to save them that night. The whole story of what happened was beyond the norm. Having watched this play out, I might have to rethink my position.”

  “I had to.” Matt walked over to the group. “There are many things in life too hard to explain, and I’ve learned to place the way she solves cases in one of those categories.” He smiled at her. “All I know is it works.”

  “Yes, it does.” Jessie rubbed her forehead. The victim was young, with her whole life ahead of her. She wiped a tear as it made its way down her cheek. Murder was a nasty business and ruined so many lives in the process. The anger she felt rising up surprised her. Closing her eyes, she fought to tamp down her emotions. When she opened them again, Shara’s ghost was watching her.

  Chapter 8

  Happy to be back at Idle Times before it was time to close, Jessie got to work. Pushing her hair behind her ear, she massaged her temple. Long and disturbing were the words that came to mind to describe her morning. It didn’t help her emotional state that the girl’s spirit had watched their every move. Were people always aware of what was happening to them after death? The expression of sorrow on the spirit’s face seemed to indicate that she was aware. Jessie doubted any theologian alive would want to tackle this one.

  She straightened the book table. Audrey had placed some of the new books on the counter earlier in the day. Carrying a stack of paperbacks over to the shelves, she slipped them into their places. She got the feather duster, flicking it back and forth over the books and shelves with gusto. After tackling the counter, she cleaned the glass on the front door. If a customer didn’t come in soon, the whole place would be spotless.

  “Idle Time Books, may I help you,” Jessie answered the ringing phone.

  “Hi, sweetheart, are you free later on?” Matt asked.

  “No plans, I’m open to suggestions.”

  “How does dinner sound? I’m taking Frank and Kaufman out. It would be great if you came along. I think Dylan and Katie might come too. He’s calling her now.”

  “Sounds like a good way to spend an evening.” She loved the deep, husky timbre of his voice. “I’m always down with spending time with Frank, and you too, of course.”

  “The feeling is mutual, sweetheart.” He paused. “Jess, what happened at the murder site? It’s not like you to clam up. You left before I got a chance to ask you.” He sounded worried.

  “Has the girl been identified?” She turned toward the door when the bell rang.

  “Yes, it was Shara Nachman.” He paused. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

  “Shara’s ghost was watching us.” She softened her voice and glanced at the woman who walked into the store. Her dark, short hair made her deep brown eyes seem huge on her attractive face.

  “Ah, I thought so.”

  “It still troubles me when I see them looking at their own bodies. I heard Amir crying. Did I tell you that?” She turned her head and spoke quietly into the phone. “I’m sure I did.” She ran the feather duster over the counter again “It’s hard for me to forget the victims; they’re real people whose deaths hurt many others. Honestly, I don’t know how the police do their job every day.”

  “It can be brutal at times and murder is never pleasant, but most days are routine. Besides, I doubt there are many police officers who have the added burden of seeing the victims’ ghosts staring at their bodies.”

  “True, I’ll talk to you later.” She smiled. “I have a customer.”

  “I’ll pick you up at your house at six. I don’t want you to have to wait at the store after closing.”

  Jessie hung up the phone. “May I help you?” She walked to where the woman stood. Up close, she looked like an older version of Darsha. Her eyes were the same dark chocolate brown. A calm, peaceful aura surrounded her.

  “I hope so.” She glanced at Jessie, a serene look on her face. “I wanted to ask you if you would come talk to my niece, Darsha. She was quite taken with your kindness and needs to talk to someone. The sadness is bottled up inside of her so deep. She doesn’t sleep or eat. Our family is worried about her.” The woman extended her hand. “I’m Aisha Sarin, Darsha’s aunt. The family is staying with us for their safety.” She handed Jessie a slip of paper with a phone number on it. “Please think about it and give me a call if you will come.”

  Aisha was a beautiful woman. “I would love to talk to Darsha. I’ve wanted to talk with her ever since she walked into this store a few days ago. I’ll give you call, and we’ll arrange a time that will work for both of us.”

  “Thank you, Miss…” She gave Jessie a tentative smile.

  “I’m sorry, where are my manners? I’m Jessie Reynolds.” She clasped the woman’s hand. Thrilled at the prospect of talking to Darsha, she walked Aisha to the door. Poised and unruffled, Aisha was like Reba—at peace with her world.
<
br />   “Please call and come soon. My niece is not well. She is waning, and I feel helpless.”

  “I will.” Jessie watched the woman get into the car in front of the store. She waited until it pulled away and couldn’t be seen anymore.

  ****

  A constant stream of customers came through her store throughout the afternoon. Being busy meant sales, which was always good. Another book club signed up for a time to meet at the store every week. Idle Time Bookstore was fast becoming a place to hang out for the community and her dream was becoming reality. Five o’clock rolled around before she knew it.

  Jessie started and finished the routine of closing the store with a spring in her step. Darsha knew something. She was sure of it. Once the shock of their murders wore off, details would start to emerge in her mind. Flipping the light switch off, she locked the back door, and headed to the car. Only Darsha would be able to answer some of the questions they needed to have answered.

  ****

  Matt pulled in beside Jessie’s car. He got out to open the door for her as she walked up the path. “Hi, sunshine,” he whispered in her ear before she slipped into the seat.

  She smiled at him and turned her head toward the back seat. “Do either of you need more leg room? I’d be happy to change places with you.”

  “I’m fine,” Frank said with a chuckle. “My legs are shorter than yours.”

  “You can stay put.” Kaufman patted the headrest. “We’re fine back here. After the day we’ve had, I don’t want to move until I’m going into the restaurant.”

  “I hear you.” Frank laughed. “One of these days I’ll just have to lie down and let Radar drag me.”

  “I noticed he tugs hard. Your arm must be sore at the end of a track.” Kaufman checked his phone.

  “He’s strong, and I’m not getting any younger. This darn knee of mine gives out from time to time.” Frank rubbed his knee as he said the words.

  “Where are we going?” Jessie latched her seat belt and placed her purse near her feet.